Cobden golfer Sherine Healey goes Under the Auld Pump

Born: In Timboon on March 11, 1968.

Husband: Tim. Children: Sophie, Tash and Chloe.

Parents: Margaret and Geoff. Sibling: Darren.

Education: Timboon Primary School before going to Timboon High School and then Warrnambool High School.

Sporting highlight: Having the chance to play golf.

Sherine, I see you were educated mainly down at Timboon. It's 40 years ago since the Ash Wednesday bushfires which saw lives lost, buildings burnt to the ground and livestock destroyed across the south-west. Did the bushfires have an impact on your life as a 15 year old?

They had a big impact. We were on a share farm at Naringal and our house was burnt to the ground and cattle were destroyed.

It's something I will never forget - you can't forget it. It's something that you carry with you, especially in the summer months when we have hot days.

The worry of bushfires is always on your mind in the summer. I was going to school at Warrnambool High School 40 years ago.

It was a warm, windy morning when I caught the school bus into Warrnambool from Naringal.

We used to have an old Kingswood Holden motor car. Mum knew the fire was coming so she threw our cats and dogs into the back of the car before putting some sheep in the dairy.

She started driving out the road and the next minute the car just stopped in the middle of the road at Laang.

Mum used to say the car stopped because of the intense heat. She was lucky to have been picked up by another driver who took her into Camperdown.

Mum phoned my grandparents who lived in Warrnambool to tell them she was all right but it looked like we would lose the farm and animals because of the Ash Wednesday fires.

My brother Darren and I stayed in Warrnambool at our grandparents house that night.

What are your first memories of going back to the farm after the fires?

We went back the next day but it took a while to get back to Naringal because some of the roads were blocked. The thing that stays with me was the smell of burnt animals and the ash. The ground was still pretty warm. The house had been burnt to the ground. There was nothing left of the house - just rubble.

Mum had been saving coins in a jar and the coins had just melted into the glass. We just had to start again. I suppose I never understood the enormity of starting again as I was only 15 years old but now at my age I realise how big it was to start again.

Sherine, you mentioned playing golf is your sporting highlight. When did you start playing the game?

I had played a lot of tennis in my younger years for various sides down that way including Timboon, Ecklin and Brucknell before starting to play golf in 1990.

I'll never forget Les Hammond was taking golf lessons at the Cobden Golf Club and I got involved and I've been hooked on golf ever since.

We live in the middle of Cobden and Timboon. It was just easy to go to Cobden to play golf.

I started off by playing in the women's C grade competition on Wednesdays back in 1991 and worked my way through the grades.

I was fortunate to win the B grade championship before going on to win the A grade championship eight times with the last one last week.

My first A grade win was in 2004. I've been lucky to have won the A grade championship eight times as Debbie Rix plays more golf in Warrnambool now.

Debbie lives in Cobden. She's a top golfer and I've learnt a lot from her.

She has been a mentor to me, so was the late Fay Rundell.

Is the Cobden golf course a hard course to play?

It has its challenges. It's not a long course but it has its hazards with a few creeks going through it.

We've got wonderful facilities for a 14-hole course.

The Cobden Golf Club attracts golfers from all across the district plus tourists. This week is the Cobden Week of Golf. I played on Monday, Tuesday of this this week and will play on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

It's a massive event for the club and for golf across the district. We normally have the week of golf in November but last year the course was just too wet to play because of heavy rain so it got transferred to this week.

Have you filled any administration positions with the Cobden Golf Club?

I filled the role as ladies president for a couple of years but now the club has a club president.

I've been on the committee of the club for more than 20 years and I've witnessed many changes over those years.

The club hosts numerous functions including weddings and various parties which are all great fundraisers as we try to improve not only our social facilities but also the course.

What's your golf handicap?

I play off 15 but I'm always trying to improve that ranking. The district is lucky to have wonderful golf courses including Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Timboon and Camperdown where I've played pennant competition at over the years. Golf is a great way to met new people. It's a great social game.

Sherine, your husband Tim is a passionate footy fan. He's been heavily involved with the Nirranda Football Netball Club for many years including the past few as president. Do you follow the footy and netball much at Nirranda?

Let's just say not as much as I used to. Tim loves the footy and netball club. He's puts in a lot of hours to see the club continues to grow.

I used to follow the footy and netball a lot when the kids were growing up but over recent years I've just focused on my golf instead. I love watching the big golf tournaments on the television. It amazes me to see how much practice and time that the big golfers put into trying to master the perfect game of golf.

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